TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Mayor Monor Nichols issued an Executive Order on Feb. 24 to make housing a priority for the city.
Nichols said the EO is aimed at addressing these goals:
- Increasing affordable housing stock by 6,000 units by 2028
- Reducing blighted (unsafe, unsightly) properties by 60% by 2028
- Reducing the cost burden taken on by developers to produce more housing
"As we work to increase access to affordable housing by eliminating development barriers, it is critical that we establish a bold and strategic direction for ourselves," Nichols said. "By issuing this Executive Order, we are sending a message to Tulsans that meeting our most pressing needs is more than just talk — it's about building stronger systems, speeding up processes, and making it easier for us to meet our housing goals.
The Executive Order established these four initiatives, according to Nichols' team:
- Created a Housing Acceleration Team - This team will pilot permitting, inspection, and zoning improvements to more efficiently review and approve building permits, inspection requests, and zoning applications. The team's goal will be to learn from the process and develop more permanent improvements to all building permit, inspection requests, and zoning applications. The team has already identified and will begin its work immediately.
- Launch a Housing Permitting Tracker - The city is currently working on a publicly-available source where the issuance of building permits and Certificates of Occupancy will be tracked to help identify the progress the city is making on increasing affordable housing stock. The online platform is expected to be released publicly this spring.
- Launch the Community Builder Program - This spring, Mayor Nichols will formally establish a Community Builder Pilot Program to encourage housing rehabilitation efforts by partnering with and rewarding developers for their efforts to increase housing stock. This program will assist in turning vacant, abandoned, and blighted properties back into usable housing by eliminating some of the challenges involved in the process. The Community Builder Pilot Program is expected to offer key incentives, including the potential for a substantial reduction in permit fees and fast-tracked permitting for interior remodels and preferred partner status. The incentives will be aimed at allowing builder to streamline approval process. Participants will also receive support from a dedicated program liaison who will monitor code enforcement complaints and assist with compliance.
It is expected that interested developers and builders will be required to apply for the program where they will be tasked with outlining project locations, anticipated rehabilitation schedules and their commitment to maintaining properties. As part of the program, the City will track key metrics, including the number of units rehabilitated and the time taken to complete projects. While additional program development is taking place, the Community Builder Pilot Program is expected to launch when incentives and additional funding commitments are established. - Present a plan for Improve Our Tulsa's $75 million housing funds - This spring, in conjunction with the City Council, Mayor Nichols will present a plan for the implementation of the Improve Our Tulsa 3 housing funds, working to leverage the $75 million approved by Tulsa residents to the maximum extent possible. An additional step will include the issuance of a Request for Information to learn more about the scope and type of applicants that may be submitted when requesting funding from the Improve our Tulsa 3 program. This will assist City staff in determining whether to issue bonds to obtain funds sooner, and if the bonds are issued, how best to apply those funds to the housing categories approved by the Tulsa City Council.
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